Wildlife and Parks proposes snagging and other changes to help control invasive carp

Curtis Ward, chief legal counsel for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, presented a packet of fisheries regulations that includes provisions enabling snagging for paddlefish and listing invasive carp among prohibited fish species to better facilitate removal. "The impetus for this change has been the proliferation of invasive carp in the Kansas River," Ward told the committee, citing angler requests in the Kansas City area and concerns about public safety and river impacts.

Ward explained technical edits recommended by the attorney general (e.g., moving tagging details into referenced sections) and noted the package clarifies that certain captured invasive carp may be returned dead to the water from which they were taken to avoid roadside dumping. The package also consolidates bow and crossbow provisions and reinstates a youth-paddlefish provision previously removed at the AG's request. Committee members asked for clarifications about whether bow-and-arrow techniques and vehicle-based fishing language were intended to permit specific capture methods; Ward clarified that some allowances reflect existing practice in ice-fishing and that the changes are intended to be species- and method-specific.